Green Spaces and Health Impact

Location: Chicago city, Illinois
Report Date: 2025-09-23

Your Green Space Overview

Total Population Population Over 20 Population Over 35 Population Over 55
2,698,875 1,869,722 1,216,295 456,404

How Your Area Compares

[Interactive gauge chart showing current NDVI level vs. city average and national benchmarks] - made this figure “fat” as there is a lot of white space at the moment. Can adjust once we get some feed back on the figure in the shiny app as I’m current just using that function.

Health Benefits of Current Green Spaces

Based on scientific research, the current level of vegetation in your area provides these estimated annual health benefits:

Lives Protected

  • Premature Deaths Prevented: 3456 deaths annually
  • Stroke Cases Prevented: 444 cases annually
  • Dementia Cases Prevented: 505 cases annually

Potential for Improvement

Current vs. Target Scenarios

Scenario Vegetation Level (NDVI) Additional Lives Saved Additional Health Benefits - Stroke Additional Health Benefits - Dementia
Current Level 0.4960 3,456 444 505
Moderate Increase (+10%) 0.5356 3,834 491 559

Where to Add Green Spaces

[Map showing priority areas for vegetation expansion based on population density and current vegetation gaps]

Environmental Justice Considerations

Green Space Access by Demographics

Population Group 22] Average NDVI Access 22] Health Disparity Gap 22]
SVI quintile 1 [0.XX] [X] premature health 25]
SVI quintile 2 [0.XX] [X] premature health 28]
SVI quintile 3 [0.XX] [X] premature health 31]
SVI quintile 4 [0.XX] ☑ [X] premature health 35]

Priority for Equity: Areas with the greatest health needs and lowest green space access should be prioritized for vegetation interventions.

Policy Recommendations

For Community Leaders

  1. Tree Canopy Goal: define and increase urban tree coverage
  2. Equity Focus: Prioritize green infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods
  3. Health Integration: Include health impact assessments in all green space planning

For Residents

  1. Community Gardens: Support local initiatives to create neighborhood growing spaces
  2. Tree Planting: Participate in municipal tree planting programs
  3. Green Advocacy: Advocate for green space inclusion in new developments

For Urban Planners

  1. Zoning Requirements: Mandate minimum green space ratios in new developments
  2. Green Corridors: Connect existing parks and green spaces with tree-lined pathways
  3. Climate Resilience: Use vegetation to address urban heat island effects

Data Sources & Methodology

This report uses satellite-derived vegetation data (NDVI), U.S. Census demographics, and peer-reviewed health impact models from environmental epidemiology research. Health estimates are based on established exposure-response relationships from longitudinal cohort studies across multiple cities.

Report generated by JustGreen Tool - Colorado State University. For questions or technical details, contact: